The entire period of human evolution, from the time first human being evolved from apes, every thing has been changing and improving, with only one thing remaining constant throughout this period is the "human curiousity". This curiosity led to various inventions. Man saw the forest fire and feared, but the curiosity led him to ultimately control, produce and utilize this fire. The Sun and the Moon made him curious and he went on uncovering the universe with keen observation and experimentation. While it is said that necessity is the mother of invention, I beleive that the root of all invention has been this curiosity. Without this curiosity we would not have taken the first step towards the well developed society which we see today. We would not have invented so many machines for our comfort and also we would not have the curiosity of the spiritual kind. The curiosity to know and make sense of what we are, where we go after our death and other similar ones set us apart from the animals which survive on the fullfilment of basic needs.
One such spiritual curiosity is to know what path one should be choosing when he or she is given choices. What is the right thing to do when we get to decide the course of our actions. This curiosity is called "Karm Jigyasa" in Gita.
In the course of our lives we come across many situations which make us choose a course of action. Many a times the choice is not very clear and is affected by crossing interests of our loved one. I know of a peron who settled abroad for his career after an education in a good USA university. He took his wife after marriage to his place of work, while his parents remained back in USA. The parents were healthy, the father had a job and things were all rosy for both son and father's families in USA and abroad. Slowly as time passed my friend got a beautiful daugther, who grew up and started going to school. In the meantime, my friends father got retired and started living on his pension fund. One day the father suffered a stroke while mother was taking care of him. But she was also suffering from asthama. My friend wanted to take them to the place he lived in, but due to visa issues he was unable to do so. He was also not in a position to come back to USA as this would have disrupted his family's life. The daughter would have to leave her school course, the wife and him would have to change the jobs. So now here was a tough choice to make. Whether to come back to take care of parents or leave them on the mercy of old age home? While old age home was a difficult choice for parents to be in, in choosing the second option of coimng back, he had multiple questions to anwer. Such conditions do not have a single right answer for the question of what to choose. When Arjuna in Mahabharata war was depressed after seeing his kins in the opponent army, he had choice to fight or run away from war. Nobody would have been able to judge a perfect right choice in such case. It took a Krishna to answer his questions and help him make choice.
For the common people like us, Krishna is not available. We have to fight our own wars and make our own choices. There are many ways to choose the course of action. The most common one is to make a choice purely on a "business case" basis. Make a trial balance of the benefits and cost invoved with each of choices and take a decision based on extent of benefit. This is what we can call as a "Physical" way. This is calld "Adhibhautik" way in Hindu tradition.
Other way to look at it is from what is written in scriptures, what Bible says or what Kuran says or what Ramayana says and do accordingly. By taking the account balance of sins or the good deeds. By thinking of the day of judgment. This is in a way taking "Metaphysical" route. Thinking of sin (Paap) and good deeds (Punya). This is called "Aadhidaivik" way of thinking.
There is a third way, which is to look beyond physical or metaphysical benefits of our actions. This way of thinking makes one to identify with the universe. It is to know that through everything in this universe, one consciousness flows. The action and the result gets dissolved in this larger consciousness and this renders the question itself useless as the answer reveals itself as part of a greater integrated reality of the universe. this is spiritual way of thinking, called "Aadhiatmik" way.
While again there is nothing right or wrong in taking any route of decision making, it can always be examined as to which way is best. We will see that in next chapters.
One such spiritual curiosity is to know what path one should be choosing when he or she is given choices. What is the right thing to do when we get to decide the course of our actions. This curiosity is called "Karm Jigyasa" in Gita.
In the course of our lives we come across many situations which make us choose a course of action. Many a times the choice is not very clear and is affected by crossing interests of our loved one. I know of a peron who settled abroad for his career after an education in a good USA university. He took his wife after marriage to his place of work, while his parents remained back in USA. The parents were healthy, the father had a job and things were all rosy for both son and father's families in USA and abroad. Slowly as time passed my friend got a beautiful daugther, who grew up and started going to school. In the meantime, my friends father got retired and started living on his pension fund. One day the father suffered a stroke while mother was taking care of him. But she was also suffering from asthama. My friend wanted to take them to the place he lived in, but due to visa issues he was unable to do so. He was also not in a position to come back to USA as this would have disrupted his family's life. The daughter would have to leave her school course, the wife and him would have to change the jobs. So now here was a tough choice to make. Whether to come back to take care of parents or leave them on the mercy of old age home? While old age home was a difficult choice for parents to be in, in choosing the second option of coimng back, he had multiple questions to anwer. Such conditions do not have a single right answer for the question of what to choose. When Arjuna in Mahabharata war was depressed after seeing his kins in the opponent army, he had choice to fight or run away from war. Nobody would have been able to judge a perfect right choice in such case. It took a Krishna to answer his questions and help him make choice.
For the common people like us, Krishna is not available. We have to fight our own wars and make our own choices. There are many ways to choose the course of action. The most common one is to make a choice purely on a "business case" basis. Make a trial balance of the benefits and cost invoved with each of choices and take a decision based on extent of benefit. This is what we can call as a "Physical" way. This is calld "Adhibhautik" way in Hindu tradition.
Other way to look at it is from what is written in scriptures, what Bible says or what Kuran says or what Ramayana says and do accordingly. By taking the account balance of sins or the good deeds. By thinking of the day of judgment. This is in a way taking "Metaphysical" route. Thinking of sin (Paap) and good deeds (Punya). This is called "Aadhidaivik" way of thinking.
There is a third way, which is to look beyond physical or metaphysical benefits of our actions. This way of thinking makes one to identify with the universe. It is to know that through everything in this universe, one consciousness flows. The action and the result gets dissolved in this larger consciousness and this renders the question itself useless as the answer reveals itself as part of a greater integrated reality of the universe. this is spiritual way of thinking, called "Aadhiatmik" way.
While again there is nothing right or wrong in taking any route of decision making, it can always be examined as to which way is best. We will see that in next chapters.
No comments:
Post a Comment